Established base investsin the future

Oct 11 2007 By The Journal

ONE of Tyneside’s largest self storage centres has invested £250,000 in fitting out a new warehouse offering 82 additional units to business and domestic customers.

Lock N Store, on Hoults Estate in the Ouseburn area of Newcastle, was set up in 1998 with just 28 units and has steadily increased in size as demand has grown. It now houses 840 flexible do-it-yourself storage units on one site.

The company has especially seen growth from businesses and home owners looking to declutter and use space more efficiently.

The new units are in a refurbished 6,000sq ft warehouse, with an office for six full-time staff. An additional employee will be recruited to help operate the units.

Lock N Store offers storage solutions starting from £5 per week in sizes ranging from 16sq ft lockers to 1,250sq ft warehouse units. They are proving popular with businesses looking for extra storage space, either through moving, downsizing or expansion as well as domestic customers looking to move home or free more space.

The company offers 24-hour access to units, 365 days a year, with CCTV in every warehouse and on-site security guards outside office hours. The company also has a forklift truck and operator for use by customers with heavy goods.

Lock N Store managing director Fred Hoult said: “We have seen a significant growth in the demand for storage solutions.

“Office rent has increased, so companies are opting for smaller offices and hiring out secure but lower-cost storage space as an alternative. We have also seen an increase in people working from home who need to store their archive files in a safe and secure place.

“We are seeing home owners looking to free up space rather than pay the expensive costs of moving and also new housing being built tends to be smaller, so people need to store larger items such as garden furniture or occasionally-used items such as skis in a place that is dry, secure and accessible.”

The self storage concept arrived in the UK in the early 1980s, starting in the London area. Today it is an industry of considerable note, with about 680 main facilities and 25 million rentable square feet across the country. Self Storage Association chief executive officer Rodney Walker said: “The storage industry continues to grow apace – in terms of space available for rental – by between 10% and 15% annually.

“Whilst the main concentration of the industry is in London and the South-East, there are now self storage facilities in all the major conurbations throughout the UK. This is also true of the North-East, although growth appears to be somewhat slower there than in some other regions.

“Lock N Store is one of a small number of members of the Self Storage Association (United Kingdom) in the North-East and with 840 units is now one of the largest providers in the Newcastle area.

For more information, contact Lock N Store, Hoults Estate, Walker Road, Newcastle.Tel: (0191) 224-3411. www.lock-n-store.co.uk